(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak – with assistance from Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies – arrested a man this (Tuesday) morning, on a felony drug charge. Authorities say 48-year-old Richard Allen Straw, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 4:45-a.m. in the 100 block of W. Valley Street, on a Class-C Felony charge of Possession with the Intent to Distribute less than 5 grams of methamphetamine. Straw was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $10,000 bond.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a woman from Cass County (IA) was arrested Monday afternoon, on a charge of Failure to Appear on a Drug Trafficking-Methamphetamine. 43-year-old Heather Loreen Butler, of Griswold, was arrested in Griswold at around 4-p.m. and held on a $25,000 bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

And, 30-year-old Tylor Daniel Fine, of Stanton, was arrested today (Tuesday) a little after 4-a.m., in Red Oak. He was charged with Driving While Suspended x 11. Fine was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a slightly more than $491 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The Sioux City Art Center is sending a mural painted by Grant Wood almost 100 years ago out for some restoration work. The “Corn Room Mural” was originally commissioned for the Martin Hotel in Sioux City in 1926 and at one point was covered in wallpaper and paint in the 1950’s before it was recovered in 1979.

Art Center curator Christopher Atkins says the mural gives a good view of a very different time in Sioux City 100 years ago. There are several sections and they will be taken to Minneapolis in two phases for the renovation work. Eugene Eppley also commissioned corn murals for their hotels in Council Bluffs and Cedar Rapids.

Grant Wood’s Corn Room Mural (Sioux City Art Center photo)

Wood is from Anamosa and in 1930 painted “American Gothic” which became his most recognized work.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A woman from Red Oak was arrested at around 9:30-p.m. Monday, in Red Oak. According to Red Oak Police, 61-year-old Farron Renee Dignin was taken into custody in the 1800 block of E. Summit Street, for Public Intoxication. Dignin was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill to remove gender identity protections from the Iowa Civil Rights Act is eligible for debate in the Iowa House Thursday and will be considered by a Senate subcommittee today (Tuesday). Representative Brian Meyer, a Democrat from Des Moines, says Republicans should be addressing other priorities like housing and child care.

“I give you credit, when you want to move quick on culture wars, you guys move like a flash,” Meyer said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” All but one Republican on the House Judiciary Committee approved the bill late Monday afternoon. All the Democrats on the panel voted no. Representative Lindsay James is a Democrat from Dubuque.

“When you love folks in the LGBTQ community, these kinds of bills make you sick to your stomach because this bill is legalizing discrimination against vulnerable folks,” James said. Republican Representative Steven Holt of Denison says having gender identity listed in the Iowa Civil Rights Act elevates the rights of transgender Iowans above others.

“Liberal Democrats have bought into an ideology that erases women,” Holt said. “Liberal Democrats who once championed women’s rights and helped forge women’s sports and Title IX…are now perfectly O.K. with erasing women,” Holt said. “That men should be allowed to invade the bathrooms and private spaces of biological females, thereby erasing their rights — that’s the discrimination that’s happening right now.”

Hundreds of people gathered in the Capitol yesterday (Monday) to protest the bill. They shouted at Republicans who voted for the bill. It’s possible the bill could pass both the House and Senate before the end of the week.

(Radio Iowa) – A Republican who serves on the panel that drafts the budgets for Iowa’s three state-supported universities questions whether the University of Iowa has not done enough to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion content. Representative Brooke Boden of Indianola says she’s recently found information about D-E-I on the university’s websites.

“We have hundreds of millions of dollars of federal money coming down the pike that if we’re not willing to comply that we’re going to miss out on for the state of Iowa,” Boden said, “so this is a concern to me to still be seeing so much of that out there.” University of Iowa president Barbara Wilson says a search of the university’s website may show stories about D-E-I activities in the past, but Wilson says the university is working vigorously to comply with state and federal directives on D-E-I.

“We’re not trying not to comply. Trust me. We’re working very hard on it,” Wilson said. “…We’ve closed offices. We’ve gotten rid of every DEI committee in every department, across every college. We have retained a central office, but we’ve eliminated about 11 positions in that central office and it’s focused primarily on civil rights and access and opportunity programs.” For example, that’s the office where low income University of Iowa students can get tutoring, financial counseling and mentoring through a federally-funded program.

Wilson says she understands “diversity, equity and inclusion” are politically charged words now and she says the university doesn’t have special D-E-I programs or quotas, but Wilson says diversity of experience still matters and that includes first generation students, veterans and students from rural Iowa.  “I can’t imagine getting rid of the word ‘diversity’ you all. Now if you tell me I need to, I will, but it doesn’t actually reflect who we are. We welcome students from all backgrounds, from all regions, from multiple viewpoints,” Wilson said, “…We’re trying to meet students where they are and ensure their success at the University of Iowa and define diversity in the broadest possible terms, so we haven’t really gotten rid of anything and we’re continuing to talk about this, being careful of our language, but the ultimate goal is to support students from all different backgrounds and tell them they all belong in Iowa and at the University of Iowa.”

Wilson made her comments during a meeting with members of a budget subcommittee in the Iowa House. The president of the Board of Regents told lawmakers the board began talking about eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives before any state or federal mandates and if there’s something on a university website that may be D-E-I related, it’s to be taken down.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill that would remove “gender identity” from the Iowa Civil Rights Act has cleared the House Judiciary Committee this (Monday) afternoon. The bill passed o a 13-to-8 vote, with all but one Republican voting yes. The legislation was the subject of a sometimes tense hour-long subcommittee hearing this (Monday) morning. Amber Williams of Aplington, a lobbyist for Inspire Life – a group opposed to abortion, says the bill ensures the of safety and privacy of women.

“Women’s rights cannot exist if the very definition of woman is eroded,” Williams said. “As a society, we have a duty to ensure that women’s spaces remain places of refuge, not controversy.” Paden Sheumaker says the bill will be a dark stain on Iowa’s civil rights history. “Have you ever been discriminated against just for being who you are, just for existing as yourself? I have and I can tell you it is dehumanizing,” Sheumaker said. “It is demeaning, it is disheartening and it is terrifying.”

Chris Morse, who testified against the bill, was escorted out of the hearing when he wouldn’t stop quoting a Bible passage. “Whether you like it or not, this body agreed in 2007 to protect gender queer like myself,” Morse said. “..Removing these protection is, in itself, a violation of our civil rights and it won’t hold up in court.” Brad Lawson of Pleasant Hill urged lawmakers to be bold.  “Let the country know that we, in Iowa, believe in science, believe in sex and not gender identity, that we are male and female and the way someone feels today or tomorrow doesn’t get the same civil rights protections that MLK and others fought so hard for and the way God intended,” Lawson said.

Tamara Scott, state director for Concerned Women of America, urged lawmakers to remove all references to sexual orientation in state law. “It is not your job to codify feelings; to protect perceptions, pronouns or preferences, but it is to bring justice to all of us,” Scott said. “…No one group should have benefit under any other group under the Constitution.” Diane Crookham-Johnson, an Oskaloosa attorney, said in 2024 she helped eight Mahaska County residents confirm their gender identity on legal documents.

“This bill doesn’t impact some unknown person over there,” she said. “This bill impacts people in your districts..and even your most conservative counties of Iowa.” Opponents of the bill chanted and stomped outside the hearing room, prompting the subcommittee’s chairman to pause the hearing for seven minutes as state troopers pushed the crowd down the hallway to reduce noise in the room.

Iowa State Patrol troopers blocked off a section of the hallway outside the subcommittee hearing room. (RI photo)

Two protesters were arrested late this (Monday) afternoon,

February 24, 2025 (DES MOINES) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and a 13-member delegation have just returned from a trade mission to Costa Rica and Guatemala. The mission, coordinated by the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA), included representation from Iowa’s meat and grain commodity groups. The purpose of the mission was to foster trade opportunities as the State of Iowa advocates for the high-quality of Iowa corn, soybeans, pork and beef products produced in Iowa for export markets.

The U.S. remains the number one export market in agricultural products for Costa Rica and Guatemala. Guatemala accounts for approximately one-third of the Central America region’s GDP, and is steadily increasing agricultural imports from the U.S. In 2024, Guatemala imported $1.9 billion in agricultural goods from the U.S., while Costa Rica imported $956 million in 2024.  In 2024, Iowa companies alone exported $75.1 million in agricultural goods to Costa Rica and $145 million to Guatemala. (Source: USDA and WISERTrade)

“Iowa’s hardworking farmers can produce an abundance of food and fuel incredibly efficiently, which is why international market development continues to be one of my top priorities,” said Secretary Naig. “I was pleased to lead a delegation of Iowa farmers and agricultural leaders to Central America, an area of the globe that offers promising potential as a growing destination for Iowa grain, protein, and biofuels. Our delegation enjoyed meeting with customers in Costa Rica and Guatemala, we thanked them for their business, and we learned more about how we can further strengthen our trading relationship going forward. Trade matters to Iowa, and these face-to-face meetings are the best way to build connections in key markets as we seek to export significantly more Iowa products.”

The Iowa ag delegation visited San Jose, Costa Rica and Guatemala City, Guatemala from February 15-21. The itinerary was comprised of trade policy discussions, information sessions on Iowa’s agricultural industry and business development meetings. The delegation was comprised of representatives from the Iowa Beef Industry Council, Iowa Corn, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Iowa Pork Producers Association and the Iowa Soybean Association. IEDA worked with the U.S. Grains Council, U.S. Meat Export Federation, U.S. Soybean Export Council and U.S. Department of Agriculture – Foreign Agriculture Service to identify and organize business prospects and meetings for the mission.

IEDA’s International Trade Office connects Iowa companies with markets for their products and services, educates Iowa businesses on exporting and assists global companies wishing to establish or expand operations in Iowa. To find out more about these services or other trade missions, visit iowaeda.com.